Just Another Day
by PrincessOfWildfire
Summary: Another OC .. set in the RID universe .. oh .. yay? [Complete!]
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Dunt own them.   
  
A/N: Okay, this is the briefest overview I could do of how Sai turns up. It's not meant to be the best, just the facts.  
  
Somewhere, in a secret location, someone - who shall remain anonymous for now - picked up a small, purple tile. Much like a minicon in hibernation, not that they would know what that is. Anywho, along with the story.   
  
The tile began to glow dully as the someone walked to a computer, and inserted it into the slot. The screen lit up, then dulled to reveal a sullen looking girl with black hair and blue eyes, sitting in a tshirt with "Linkin Park" on it, and a pair of dark blue jeans. She glared at   
  
the camera.  
  
"Why am I doing this again?" she snapped, crossing her arms. A soft voice, too quiet to make out the words, answered. She didn't seem pleased with the answer. "I'm not talking," she stated.  
  
A small dog came bounding up, jumped in her lap, and started attacking her. At least thats what the watcher thought, and their eyes widened in surprise, until they heard the girl laughing. The dog sat back by her, and grinned at the camera, tongue lolling out.  
  
"Fine, fine," she sulked, still grinning "I'll do it." The watcher blinked at her sudden mood swing, then settled back in a chair to see how it unfolded. "I," she began "am Sai. This" a point at the dog "is Burn. He's not really a dog or anything, he's really a Cybertronian. But that's so complicated -I- don't even understand it, so we'll just leave that little thing alone for now.  
  
"Burn seems to think that it would be a good idea to record my history so far, I think that's X-Brawn rubbing off on him. He was a gift from him, after all. I don't suppose that makes much sense, so I'll explain."  
  
She stretched, yawned, crossed her legs and settled into the seat.  
  
"As far as I can figure, Megatron - leader of the .. bad guys - had been on earth for years before the autobots turned up. He decided for no reason - " Her eyes flitted to the side, revealing that she was lying - "To take a kid from some place. That was me. I grew up around the predacons, and later on, the decepticons. The decepticons never particularly took any notice of me, except Scurge who was always on my back, and Robar who would mock the others with me. He was fun.  
  
"So anyway, one day I decided to see just how important I was to them. I had never had any contact with another human, so I didn't think of how they might treat me, and hid in the base. When everyone went trapsing out one day, I followed. They went their way I went the other way, which wasn't the best idea since the base was in the middle of the desert.  
  
"I'll never understand -why-.  
  
"I was tired, when this huge machine came running up and tripped on a rock, its head landing right beside me in the sand. That's the first time I met Ultra Magnus, and the first time I became aware of the war between the autobots and megatron's people .. So, he took pity on me," she snorted here "and eventually stopped telling me to bug off. He's the one who named me Sai, after Cybertron. He took me to the city where the autobots were living, and I didn't see him for months. Then he turned up when I highjacked a car .. who turned out to be Sideburn. I named Burn after him. Through all of that I met Prowl and X-Brawn as well, and a while later a few of the other autobots on the many chases around the city I led the decepticons on. It seems Megatron -did- notice I was missing, mores the pity.  
  
"So that's where I stand now. Ultra Magnus hasn't kept in contact, but I know how to find him. I just have to go the autobot's not-so-secret base." She grinned, and stretched. "I see the autobots around the city a lot, but I don't bother trying to go and see what they're doing. The Decepticon's are never far behind, anyway, and the last thing I want is to end up back with Megatron."   
  
Her hand strays to her neck, then pulls away quickly.  
  
"Mine isn't a very interesting story when I put it like that; of course, I did forget to mention -how- I met the other autobots, and which ones. See, I tried to highjack just about all of them. That didn't make Magnus very happy, and he did something about it, but I suppose that will come later, right Burn?"  
  
There was a laugh, and the screen shut down. The one who had been watching stood, pulled the minidiskthing from the computer, and walked out of the room, looking satisfied at the information they had found out.  
  
[And now, the fun begins] 


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. And the world is grateful for this. Though if I did, Mirage would be able to turn invisible in RID just like in the original series .. ~nods solemnly~

A/N: Upon reading this the other day I had a horrible thought .. is Sai too much a mary-sue? o.o

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

There was nothing to imply to Optimus Prime that his day was going to be any different from any other but, nevertheless, it was. Bwahahah.

He yawned, stretched and clanked out into the computer room of the Autobots' secret base to start watching for any Decepticon activity, and there she was - lying on her stomach on a couple of cushions, legs in the air, headphones on, reading a car magazine. He was so surprised he just stopped and stood there, then finally reached over and tapped a key on the computer to wake T.A.I up. She materialized, saw the girl, and returned his confused look. After a minute, he reached down and tapped her on the shoulder with one finger. The girl glanced over at him, yawned, took off her headphones and sat up.

Long raven black hair fell over one sapphire blue eye, and her eye-brow, ears and probably tongue were pierced. She wore a black crop top and small black jean jacket, along with baggy cargoes. Her feet were bare.

"Hello," said Optimus finally, after critically taking in her appearance.

"Hi," she replied, a cold tinge to her voice. 

"I'm Optimus Prime," he began, but she sharply cut him off with

"Leader of the Autobots. Yeah, yeah, I know. You're on T.V. enough." He blinked, then asked

"I see. Who are you?" [I'd also like to know how you got in here, but we'll get to that later]

"My friends call me Sai."

"Can I call you Sai?"

"No." 

"Okay... How - "

"Did I get in here? I don't think I really want to tell you that just yet." A smirk appeared on her face at his confused expression, and when he just stared at her, she rolled onto her stomach and went back to her magazine. 

The Autobot Brothers reported in half an hour later to find their leader still in the same position. T.A.I looked just as shell-shocked.

"Well looky here," said X-Brawn, a little amused "How'd you get in here, little lady?" At the voice, Sai rolled over. On seeing him her jaw, and magazine, dropped.

"X-Brawn!" she exclaimed, stating the obvious. He laughed at her mock shock.

"You know her?" asked his leader.

"Of course, Optimus. This here is Sai. We had a ... run in ... a while back." He got a look demanding him to elaborate, and returned one strongly suggesting he wait.

"Then maybe -you- can get some answers out of her. She doesn't seem to want to talk to me."

"Sounds about right, she's not a talkative person. 'Cept I doubt she'll tell me anything either." X-Brawn paused, thinking. "But she's not a threat, and she wouldn't have come unless she had to, I'll stake my spark on it."

"Mistake number one," Sai smirked flatly, taking offence to being spoken to like she wasn't there, and making it clearly known, but they both laughed. 

Prowl and Sideburn exchanged a look, which Optimus caught. They too had had a 'run in' with Sai, and while they liked the fiery street rat, they didn't completely trust her. Their older brother knew something they didn't, and never questioned her, so they gave her the benefit of the doubt. Come to think of it, Prowl pondered, she was the same with X-Brawn ... and gave him and his little brother the same wariness they gave her.

"So what are you doing?" asked Sideburn finally, when silence had settled in.

"Ask no questions and you'll be told no lies." This time, Sai's smile was forced, and it wasn't just a retort. X-Brawn noticed what was happening and interrupted with

"I'm about to go on patrol. You wanna hitch a ride?" She snorted, but stood up and sauntered out. As she passed, Sideburn took the poster she held out to him, and she smiled at his surprised exclamation at the sight of such a huge cherry red, sleek, shiny sports car. The smile turned into a smirk at what Prowl would do. Ahhh the fun of tormenting giant robots that could squash you with one finger if they so desired ^_____^. 

X-Brawn, oblivious, transformed to vehicle mode and she leapt in, leaning back as she remembered just how comfortable his seats were. He was silent as they traveled through the Global Space Bridge and came out on a huge off-roading track in the middle of nowhere. His worried face appeared on the screen, but before he could say a word, she did.

"Nice patrolling, can I join the squad?"

"What's going on?" X-Brawn didn't even acknowledge her question as they shot along. Sai turned her head 

out the window. This Autobot was one of her best friends, along with another of his race, but now she was here and could confide in him what was wrong, and what her plan was to fix it, it didn't seem that smart.

"Megatron took my car," she said finally.

"WHAT?!" He skidded, righted himself, and shot on.

"I was driving along and he surprised me. Before I could wake Burn up, these guys had my car and I wasn't in it anymore. There was nothing I could do."

"What do you mean, 'these guys'?"

"What do you think I mean? There were five of them, plus Maggie. One of them was a mini me of Prime, but black."

"Scurge," the car spat "Keep out of his way."

"I plan to." She brushed her hair back, and it fell over her eye again. She sighed.

"What did Megatron attack you to start with? I know he hates you and all, but surely he's over his wanting to kill you obsession."

"I have something Scourge wants, and he needs."

"And what exactly would that be?" [Here comes the truth]

"I dunno?" she suggested, somewhat lamely.

"You're lying." [Stupid intuition]

"And you and your brothers lied to your leader about me."

"We didn't lie," he corrected her, "We just didn't tell him every mundane detail of our day."

"Is my trust in you really worth pissing off your oh-so-great-and-important leader, and dampening his trust in you?"

"Optimus knows we do what we do for a reason, that includes withholding information." He paused. "But yes, it is." A brief smile flitted across her face, now that she knew he still held some loyalties to her.

[I wish I could tell you what's going on, X-Brawn] she thought [but I can't. The Autotbots don't need to be in my fight anymore.] He caught the look on her face.

[When you're ready to talk, I'll be ready to listen. We all will]


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still don't own them. And still the world is grateful. Thought if I did … uhm ... oh, I know! Megatron and Prime would actually –fight- in RID =^-^=   
  
A/N: I know this one is -really- short, but I didn't write it as chapters. This was just too long when it was with the next chapter.  
  
le Roddi: Woohoo my first review! Gracias! And Mirage might turn invisible, but he doesn't do the box thing =p ... and he doesn't leave the footprints no-one sees. Anyway, thanks for the criticism! I hope the prologue - loosely used term - explains a bit of where Sai comes from.  
  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The two of them got back to the 'secret' Autobot base around lunchtime. Koji was talking to Prime and T.A.I, but stopped when Sai sauntered back in. He fixed her with a death glare that could strip paint and burn it into charcoal, and she rolled her eyes. [Why doesn't he just get over it? I didn't **mean** to ….] (A/N: When she escaped Megatron, she left Dr Onishi behind. Since, y'know, she didn't know he was there. Koji is still kinda mad at her for it)  
  
All the Autobots were standing around, talking among themselves, but they stopped as well when they saw her. She slowly looked around at the small army that had assembled, recognizing only one or two from each group. Prowl and Sideburn were just glad to see their brother still in one piece. When everyone had been silent for a minute or two, Optimus Prime stepped forward.  
  
"This," he said proudly "Is my team." He introduced them one by one - The Spy Changers, Team Bullet Train, The Build Team, Skid-Z and Towline, and by the end, she knew who she trusted, and it was obvious they had judged her just as quickly.  
  
"So you're the girl who found our secret base," said Ironhide, icily.  
  
"Accidents happen," Sai shrugged, bristling at being called a girl.  
  
"And who got in without anyone - not even T.A.I - knowing," continued Mirage critically.  
  
"Bad security," was the smooth reply.  
  
"Who knows the Autobot Brothers, while none of us knew you existed," added Rapid Run, less impressed that the marksman, and obviously blaming her for the brothers silence. [You don't keep up with your teams much, do you Prime? Neither do they keep up with each other, how sad. I know more that just those three]  
  
"Nice cars. Coulda got a lot of money for them, especially Sideburn." [Not to mention my 'relationship' with Megatron comes into it ... hmmm ... I really do like his paintjob though ... love those flames … ]  
  
"So what you're saying," summarized Wedge flatly "Is you're -just- a girl, a common car thief, who stumbles onto our –secret- base by accident, and with no hidden agenda or ties?"  
  
"You're telling the story." Her voice was practically spewing icebergs. [One thing for the Autobots, they know how to piss someone off]  
  
"So you going to tell us what you're really doing here?" wondered Hotshot aloud.  
  
"You make it sound like I've deceived you." She met his gaze evenly.  
  
"You're denying it?" Before she could answer, the computer started beeping.  
  
"The Decepticons are hitting another power plant," reported T.A.I "If they get away with even half, were in trouble."  
  
"Got it," said Prime "X-Brawn, Prowl, Sideburn – you're with me. Sai, stay here till I get back." Subtitle: I don't trust you.  
  
"Like hell!" she exploded.  
  
"No discussion." He turned and walked out, followed by the Brothers, and she suddenly felt very alone. In case she got any ideas, the Trains moved to block the doorway. She gave them a rather vicious death glare - Rapid Run swallowed, Midnight Express looked somewhat worried, Rail Spike barely noticed. After a minute, she scowled, turned on her heel and stalked to the window, looking out as thoughts battled each other for her attention. Finally she sighed, absently reaching up to touch the chain around her neck, assuring herself it was still there. The Autobots and Koji had drawn to the other end of the room, but Rail Spike never moved from the door. Suddenly, one walked over. It was Koji.  
  
"Optimus and the others are still trying to rescue my dad from Megatron," he said.  
  
"And you assume I know something," she accused.  
  
"That's not what I meant," he lied.  
  
"Bullshit. Look, if I knew where Onishi was, I'd tell you. Really, I would. But Maggie moves his base every week. There's no real way to track it. [You don't need to know what I could be there in an instant, though.]  
  
"How can he do that? Optimus and the Autobots stop the Decepticons almost every time."  
  
"Work it out," she scowled "You think they let you know every time they do a raid? Not even they're that stupid." Koji flinched at her tone.  
  
"I didn't mean to offend you," he said formally, and a little lamely.  
  
"And I didn't mean to get into the middle of the Prime Vs. Megatron war, but I did. Shit happens and 'I didn't mean to' doesn't magically make it all okay again." She turned and walked out. Rail Spike saw, then went back to the argument he was having with his little brother.


	4. Interlude: Sideburn's Story with footnot...

A/N: Ack . I'm so sorry for the late update! :sob: I lost the disk that had the third chapter on it, and it took me forever to write this. I have no idea why x_X  
  
This was meant to be put up after the third chapter, which is still missing. So some of it might not make sense ... but it should. Mostly =^-^=  
  
Zeheria: Woohoo! O_O! Sideburn's autograph?! Ugh x_X No fair! 'Course if I was gonna go after anyones it would be Ultra Magnus' =D but you're so lucky! RiD is my favourite series =^-^=! I can't believe you missed the ending! How far along did you see?? ^^; I'm so glad you like Sai! She's probably my favourite fic character, which is why I posted this one. She doesn't lie that much ... really! 0:) Hehe, so maybe she does but it's all for a good cause! oO Okay, enough babble, it's longer than the reviews ^^; Sorry!  
  


* * *

  
  
The same anonymous figure we all met before walked into a different room, sat down at a different computer, and inserted a different mini - er, cybertronian computer disk into the driver.  
  
The girl - Sai - appeared on the screen immediately, the camera doing an extreme close-up of her face. (Blair Witch style)  
  
"And now," she declared in a conspiratorial whisper, slyly narrowed eyes darting left to right "We find out exactly how the Autobot brothers met … Moi!"  
  
The camera zoomed out to reveal her wearing a simple black t-shirt and black cargoes. Her hair was a couple of inches shorter than in the other video, and the area around the eyebrow bar was slightly red; a new piercing. An empty chain hung around her neck.  
  
[Something struck the one watching as odd. But they weren't particularly observant, and it wasn't particularly obvious, so they just shrugged the feeling off and carried on playing the recording.]  
  
The camera shifted angles as she tossed it to the other hand, bouncing up and down as Sai crept along the wall, jumping out abruptly as if she could surprise her victim.  
  
"A-ha!" she declared triumphantly "Now you'll talk!" The camera turned up from the ground and focused on Sideburn, who looked remarkably like a deer caught in a set of headlights. Slowly, he slid the car magazine behind his back.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Uh ... "  
  
"First question!" The camera interrupted, catching a Sailor Moon - like pose caught in the Autobots paintjob, and a snicker creeping into her voice "How did you meet the -dashing- young lady commonly known as ... Sai!" Then, in a quieter, sullen voice "Okay, so it's the only question."  
  
The camera zoomed in on a bolt in his leg. A loud curse, then a lower muttered one involving a threat to send it to the scrap-yard in seven different ways - and hundreds of pieces - unless it worked, and it suddenly zoomed back out to focus on Sideburn's face.  
  
He looked amused. Coughing importantly, he began.  
  
"Well … I was just driving along one day - minding my own business! - when suddenly I saw this stunning beauty. She utterly took my breath away! A figure to die for, purring voice, the works! Not to mention the cherry red paint job, chrome wheels, motor that could go from 0 to 60 in four seconds -flat- ..." He broke off suddenly at the muttered 'Oh Primus, why me?' came from the camera.   
  
Despite the obvious fondness of him, Sai had about as much appreciation for his obsession as anyone else. Our anonymous figure made some sort of laughing noise.  
  
"As I was saying," Sideburn continued, faking a hurt expression "I was just about to give chase - I mean, follow the fair lady and capture her heart with my unbound charm, when this utterly scraggly, dirty looking human - "  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"- slammed straight into me, nearly tears my door off the hinges opening it (and buckling it slamming it closed) and starts diving around looking for a set of keys. I made the most obvious tactical decision and ... did nothing."  
  
"Yeah right," a voice snorted on its way past "More like the human had you caught like a deer in the headlights. Should've paid more attention in the 'what-to-do-when-you're-high-jacked" class, huh?"  
  
"Don't get so cocky, Magnus!" the camera yelled ominously "You're next!" It swung back to its original victim, annoyed at the interruptions "Continue."  
  
Wisely, with no smart comments, he did. "So anyway she gives up on the keys and starts jamming the wires together like it works the same as the movies say - always looking out the window desperately - and I help out of the goodness of my heart - "  
  
"And the fact the Predacons were making their way over …"  
  
"-by turning on the engine. Without missing a beat she throws the stick into reverse, does a skid in a half circle, and tears off leaving the Predacons in her dust."  
  
"You're being a drama queen, little brother … "  
  
"Yeah! Ruining the story a bit, arentcha?"  
  
"Ruining it ... or making it better?" (Invader Zim style ^______^)  
  
"Ruining it," the camera, and one of the disembodied voices replied at the same time. Then when both the voices - X-Brawn and Prowl - literally popped up behind their brother, the human broke into helpless giggles.   
  
"Cutting a long story short - "  
  
"And a short story shorter - "  
  
"Little brother here freaked, asked for help and since I knew the oh-so-great-and-terrible-carjacker - "  
  
"And not mentioned it, might I add - "  
  
"We convinced her to hand her hostage back to us."  
  
"Hey! I wasn't her hostage! She was mine!"  
  
The camera fell over as Sai collapsed on the ground, holding her ribs and laughing almost hysterically at their expressions. The three brothers nodded in satisfaction. At least she was laughing again.  
  
[The watcher reached out and abruptly stopped the recording before it was done, an expression of either hate or sadness crossing its features, before grabbing the disk and hurrying out of the room, avoiding contact with anyone who made their way in.]  
  
[What did she do that would make those two so wary of her now .. when they were so trusting of her back then?]  
  


* * *

  
  
Hehe, that was fun to write. X-Brawn and Prowl popping up behind Sideburn is such a weird image. Anyway, since I'm bored, I've decided to recommend my favourite fics =^-^= Erm … gomen, lo siento or whatever language you want it in if you don't want yours up here, lemme know and I'll take it off.  
  
Dragonball Z: Touch Tones. [Piccolo raises a kid, what more do you want? I love the interlude where the chicks mock Trunks =D Even though he's my favourite]  
  
X-Men Comics: Lucky Me. [This is indescribably great. The second OC fic I ever read, and my favourite fic overall]  
  
X-Men:Evolution: Arcane. [This is my second favourite overall fic. Arcane reminds me so much of Edward from Anita Blake it was impossibly not to fall in love with him ^-^; :plots ways to steal his trench-coat:)  
  


* * *

  
  
Hmmm .. That's the ones that come to mind off the top of my head.


	5. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own them. Wish I owned the dinobots, though.  
  
A/N: Very late update. I hope to get this finished in the next week or two, since I don't want to have to update at the new house.   
  
Also, I have lost a fic. A favourite Kenshin fic of mine, called 'Rainstorm'. If you find it somewhere, lemme know, arigatoo!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
When Optimus Prime and The Autobot Brothers got back, Prime as good as kicked Sai out and locked the door. They were all looking very grim, and it wasn't hard to figure out what they were discussing. Muttered voices drifted through the cracks of the wall as the human in question scowled visciously at T.A.I's computer. The hologram was with the autobots, and Koji had run along home like a good little boy, after his attempt at 'conversation' had failed miserably.   
  
Eventually, curiousity overwhelmed logic of how -not- to piss the autobots off, and Sai walked over to the computer.  
  
A few randomly tapped keys later, a picture of Scurge appeared on the screen.   
  
*Leader of the Decepticons* she read *One of the six autobots lost. WHen his protoform scanned the vehicle - an oil tanker - it also scanned the human driver and Optimus Prime. Megatron infused him with his spark and he now defies his autobot heritage. There is little hope of him changing his ways.*  
  
[He was an autobot? That is -so- wrong on so many levels.] She tapped a few more keys, and a familiar figure appeared.  
  
*Ultra Magnus* she read, mildly shocked *The younger brother of Optimus Prime. Originally came to - *   
  
A crash announced the arrival of a new 'visitor' and while who it was didn't surprise her, it did amuse her.   
  
"Hello, Magnus."  
  
The autobot arched a brow. "Long time, Sai. How are you?"  
  
"Oh, y'know, same old shit, different day. You?"  
  
"Nothing has changed." [What is she doing here? And where is Burn?] He paused. "You shouldn't be on T.A.I's computer, she gets .. protective."  
  
"I'm scared." The girl replied flatly, looking anything but. He watched silently as she read through the entire autobot teams profiles, noticing her mild scowl at Prime's. This accomplished, she went back to Scurge's and her face flickered with annoyance. When he realised what she was doing, he spoke up.  
  
"Where's my brother?"  
  
With a scowl, she pointed at the door. "He and the other autobots are arguing about what to do with me."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Mhmm. The Brothers will defend me, even Prowl who isn't sure I can be trusted. The Build Team want me gone, even the big yellow one I met. The Spy Changers I'm not so sure about, they aren't as easy to read as the rest of them. I guess Mirage and HotShot will ask for answers before they tell me to get out. Skid'Z doesn't care, and the towtruck will follow his idol."  
  
"You've got them all worked out. But not a word about Prime."  
  
"Don't mock me," she said absently, then more bluntly "He pisses me off, and I piss him off. But, he's curious and isn't sure which way to lean. It's not like I'm a threat." She snickered.  
  
"He's a good leader, you know." Ultra Magnus wasn't so much defending his brother as stating the facts.  
  
"This coming from the one who was going to destroy him over a pretty ball of light, hmm?" She didn't even try to keep the amusement out of her voice.  
  
"Over leadership of the autobots. And it was you who convinced me otherwise."  
  
"You overrate my involvement, but you do have a point - in a weird, overgrown talking soup can kinda way." She yawned, stretched, and something sparkled on the chain around her neck.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"N - " She was cut off by the door concealing her fate slowly opening.  
  
"Magnus!" Optimus was somewhere between pleased and shocked. He would of been suspicious, but let's face it, that wasn't part of his programming.   
  
"I was the last time I looked," was the cool reply "What's Sai doing here?"  
  
Prime shook his head. "Why am I not surprised you know her?" The leader of the autobots sighed, then carried on as if she wasn't there. "But if we only knew why she was here. She is making a conscious effort to make us distrust her. Fortunately, X-Brawn is convinced of her harmlessness, and we have agreed to let her stay."  
  
"Oh, wow, thanks." Sai's voice was dripping sarcasm, and her glare was dark and almost predatory "I love your willingness to trust me. But forget it, I don't need your help after all. Catch ya, Magnus." She turned and half-sauntered, half-stalked out. The team looked after the girl, utterly confused, until something in Magnus clicked. He flicked on his scanner, and as the others left, he stated  
  
"Stop her."  
  
"What?" Prime looked over.  
  
"She's got something someone - "  
  
"Megatron," assumed Sideburn.  
  
"-Scurge wants. He's going to get it, she doesn't stand a chance against him."  
  
"What am I suppose to do? I will not hold her hostage; she chose to leave."  
  
"Argh!" exploded his little brother "You couldn't make her stay if you tried! She came here to get information and now she's got it she doesn't need you! She's going to take on everyone on her own - and die in the attempt!"  
  
(A/N: I hate how melodramatic Ultra Magnus sounds. I should change that)  
  
"No way," said X-Brawn defiantly "is that there little lady going to be fighting anyone, let alone Scurge. Alone ... or otherwise."  
  
"Magnus is exxagerating," said HotShot, walking past "Noone is stupid enough to take him on alone."  
  
"Idiots!" snarled Magnus, storming off "She's protecting you! Even though barely any of your stupid team could care less if she lives or dies, she's still loyal to you! Gah - what did I -DO- to end up with you weaklings?!"  
  
The door slammed, announcing his departure to a stunned Optimus Prime. After a moment, X-Brawn followed him out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: I hate how out of character Magnus is. But hey, what am I gonna do. Noone else would have yelled at Prime o.o  
  
Hm .. okay, time for fic reccomendations. I don't own any of these, though I wish I did. x.x  
  
Trigun : Keeping The Love And Peace [Having never seen Trigun, I usually don't bother reading fics about it. This one, however, I have to say is almost perfect. I love fics that have twists, and even though I almost cried in this, I reccomend it to most anyone. I also reccomend 'Sunshine' by the same author, for NoEs fans]  
  
Rorouni Kenshin: Don't Believe Everything You Dream [Probably a pg fic, I loved this. It's got an original fic plot, and its not all fluffy and .. stuff. ^^; Anyway, its great.]  
  
Digimon: Don't Fall Asleep [Yes, its official. I was a digimon fan a few years back, and I decided to check out some fics a few months back. This one is great ... not only is it original, but it has Henry! Wooh!]  
  
Umm .. geez .. I should check out some new fics .. x.x ... 


	6. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - In which the Decepticon's finally arrive!  
  
A/N: I can't believe I'm still writing this. The actual chapters (ignoring the prologue and interlude) that have been posted so far were written months ago, when Transformers was actually on TV, so the rest might be a little differently written. Eheh, yeah ... my chocolate chip biscuits didn't burn this time =^-^=  
  
I have decided there will be this chapter, next chapter and maybe an epilogue thing … I actually like this chapter a lot ... even though I didn't have a real idea where it was going when I wrote it ^^  
  
MarinBlue: Arigatoo! I hope I don't disappoint =^-^= -blinksblinks- wow .. you added me to author alert? yay ^^  
  
Neko Gal: Yay! Another neko! I'm glad you like it - here's the next chapter!  
  


* * *

  
  
"Who's the greatest shark around? Sky-Byte, that's - "  
  
Sky-Byte, strong and fearless leader of the Predacons, broke off in the middle of his song and stared in shock. The girl the great and mighty leader Megatron had been searching for for months was stomping down the beach below him, a dangerous glare on her face. He was too stunned at his good luck to move for a moment, then one of his chibified thought bubbles appeared above his head.  
  


* * *

  
  
Chibified Megatron:Sky-Byte, you succeeded where even Scourge has failed, you've brought the Evil Human back to me .. Great job!  
  
Chibified Sky-Byte:{modestly} It was nothing, great and fearless leader Megatron. Any loyal subject would have done the same.  
  
Chibified Megatron: Immaterial and irrelevant! I am so impressed; you are re-promoted back to your old position.  
  
Chibified Scurge:{sobs hysterically}  
  
Chibified Sky-Byte:{Crash Bandicoot victory dances}  
  


* * *

  
  
Snapping out of his fantasy, Sky-Byte was about to make his move when he realized three things simultaneously.  
  
One: The girl was not alone. Two Autobots were following her.  
  
Two: Red really -wasn't- Optimus Prime's color.  
  
Three: Scurge was approaching fast.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"  
  


* * *

  
  
"Sai! Wait!"  
  
Sai carried on.  
  
"SAI!"  
  
"WAIT!"  
  
"Go - what was that?!" Sai's head snapped around just in time to see a blast throw X-Brawn and Ultra Magnus to the side. The dust cleared to reveal ... Scurge. Mega Octane landed silently beside him, and one by one the other Decepticons landed behind them in a row.  
  
"How the hell did we miss that?" grumbled Ultra Magnus, getting up. X-Brawn grunted, and they moved to flank either side of the human.  
  
When the dust settled completely, Scourge laughed maniacally. Even his team looked at him oddly, but before anyone could comment, he stepped forward.  
  
"We have no interest in you today, Autobots. Give us the girl, and you may leave unharmed. Oppose us, and you will be destroyed."  
  
This struck both the Autobots as amusing, (and they laughed) but as Scourge stepped forward and Sai stepped back - clutching the chain around her neck - they stopped, realizing something wasn't right.  
  
"Last chance, Autobot scum."  
  
"I think we'll … pass!" In sync with the last word, Ultra Magnus shot forward, slamming straight into Scurge. Both of them hit the ground, though Ultra Magnus was up in the air again the moment Scourge's foot hit his chest. The Decepticons moved forward, but their leader held up his hand, waiting for Magnus to land before speaking.  
  
"The Autobots are mine. Do nothing."  
  
"What about the girl?" questioned Robar, glancing at her expressionlessly.  
  
"Leave her to me."  
  
[*I can't write fight scenes. So imagine the typical transformers fight with trash talk, jus' Scourge actually wins this time. 10 points to whoever can guess why*]  
  


* * *

  
  
The two Autobots lay in craters, unmoving, as Scourge advanced on Sai. She didn't back up this time, but instead made a move towards her friends. The Decepticon grabbed her before she had moved a foot, lifting her so she was eye-to-eye with him.  
  
"My my my, our little girl is all grown up."  
  
She spat at him ... which would have had more effect if it had actually hit him instead of falling short, but nothings perfect. She settled for snarling  
  
"Let me go, scum."  
  
"Watch your mouth." His voice was emotionless as his grip tightened until she hissed, then loosened. "I can squash you like a bug, remember that."  
  
"You wouldn't risk it," she hissed, not struggling. Some people prefer not to be squished. He leaned in until their faces were an inch apart.  
  
"Don't tempt me. Tomorrow you will be of no more use to Megatron … then you're mine."  
  


* * *

  
  
Ultra Magnus groaned, his optics flickering before fuzzily trying to turn on. He couldn't see a damn thing, even when they did.  
  
"Magnus?" Sai's voice came out of the darkness immediately "Are you okay?"  
  
[Why do people ask that when the answer is so obviously no?] he thought grumpily.  
  
"Magnus?" Sai's voice raised an octave, the fear making it louder.  
  
"I'm here. I'm fine. Where are we?"  
  
"Is X-Brawn with you? Is he okay?" Her voice raised another octave.  
  
"I don't know. I can't see him … I can't see anything."  
  
"X-Brawn?" There was no answer, followed by a strangled noise from the human. "Godamnit, why did you two have to follow me?!"  
  
"Did you really expect us to sit back and let you go, knowing what you were planning to do?" She grunted angrily.  
  
"You should have, stop trying be a frickin' hero all the time."  
  
He hesitated over how to answer, when a bright light flared into life. His optics were too slow to respond, and he was blinded for a brief second. When the flash resided, he saw a door directly in front of him - at the top of a flight of stone steps. He was dangling from two chains around his wrists, the floor mockingly only an inch from his feet. Sai sat in a cage on his left - completely unharmed - and X-Brawn's still form lay in a crumpled heap at the bottle of the stairs. Sai saw it too, and made another choked noise.  
  
"Oh God .. "  
  
[She's afraid] Magnus realized with a start [For the first time since I've met her .. she's terrified]  
  
"I don't think he's coming," commented a cold voice from the doorway.  
  
A human stepped into the room - a little older than Sai, with black hair, wearing a hoodie with the Decepticon sign on it, and black jeans. He walked lazily down the stairs, stopping outside Sai's cage, tilting his head with an innocent smirk.  
  
"Why, whatever happened to your pretty necklace, Sai-chan?"  
  
She growled, lunging at him but hitting only the cage bars. He grinned.  
  
"Settle down, I'm not here to hurt you ... that's Scurge's privilege."  
  
"What did you do to X-Brawn?!" Sai lunged at him again. He yawned, lifting a chain from his pocket. Immediately her hand went to her neck to find it clear. The once sparkling ball hung from the chain on the other side of the bars, now dull and lifeless.  
  
Her eyes widened.  
  
"Oh God ... Burn?!"  
  


* * *

  
  
A/N: Heh, I love that scene ^^ -_- Cliché, but I still love it.   
  
Recommendations:  
  
Dragonball Z: DBZ Rewite / DBZ Rewrite: The Movie. [These two had me laughing for hours. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch Dragonball Z again (not that I have for years) without being told to leave the room or shut up. Some swearing. ]  
  
Dragonball Z: Resolution. [Yes, I have been checking out the old Dbz fics. This one is about a night meeting between Goku and Vegeta, non yaoi, I loved it. It's so well written.]  
  
Erg ... what else ...  
  
Uhn .. er .. ach. Okay, so I'm jus gonna advertise my friends writings on fp.net. His pen names 'Document'. Fic author for the week is 'Beck2', in particular for 'Twisted Alliances' and 'Comments From The Characters'. Yes ... I do indeed love Arcane ^^;   
  
Well … that's it oO Be afraid of Spikes Doom!!


	7. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Wow, I updated on time o.o Not necessarily a good thing ^^; I have gone through and revised and fixed mistakes and stuff, I'll upload it all tomorrow. X.x Tired now.

It would also appear I accidentally lied K There's going to be an extra chapter. Gomen.

**Neko Gal**: You can't wait to see what happens next?! Neither can I x_X Burn was suppose to be this minor character that didn't actually do anything … now I know what people mean when they say their characters write themselves ^^;

**Zeheria**: ^^; She was kinda mad, wasn't she? Vwahahahahaha …

* * *

**"Oh God .. Burn?!"**

His face kind of lit up at that, and he grinned.

"Good, you know! I'd hated to have to explain it all for you."

Sai stared at him, not moving. He stared back at her with an expression of mocking innocence. Finally, she said softly

"Is X-Brawn okay?"

"Wouldn't know," he replied flippantly, yawning "Don't really care. Oh, don't look at me like that, Sai, I - "

"Don't call me that!" she exploded, face scrunching up in anger, making her look disturbingly child-like. He smirked.

"Well, fine, if that's what you want. We have a lot to talk about before Scurge gets his play-time with you, y'know." He paused. "I don't understand his obsession, to be honest. But eh, it isn't like you have enough time left to really care."

She took a step back from the cage bars, glancing at Ultra Magnus. Her eyes widened again.

"Stop being so shocked at everything," said Burn angrily "What did you –think- was going to happen to them?" His eyes narrowed. "Did you think -I- was going to help them?"

Her eyes flitted to the ground, and she scuffed her foot in the dirt of the floor, fingering something in her pocket. The picture of embarrassment. Burn growled.

"I would have expected more from you, of all people. You know I was born a Decepticon, no matter what it seemed like, no matter who I awakened to, you CAN'T change the original programming of a true Decepticon spark."

"The Decepticons were Autobots!" she shot back angrily, lunging. She caught him by the shirt, slamming him face first into the bars. He looked startled, grabbing her arm and twisting. She held on, since it wasn't overly painful because of the angle he was on. He snarled, resorting to grabbing her shirt and pulling her into the bars, jus' not -quite- as hard. Hard enough to make her wince, though.

"Now, listen good." His voice dipped dangerously, matching his expression "The other Decepticons may have been Autobots, but do you really think they intended to stay that way? If they had been loyal to Optimus freakin' Prime, Megatron's spark wouldn't have affected them in the least."

"Don't be stupid, stop trying to make me doubt the Autobots loyalty," she snarled, eyes flickering to Magnus again.

"I could be lying," agreed Burn "But then again, I could not. How about we find out?" He gestured at Magnus on the wall. "He'll do as a nice little experiment, don't you think?"

A split second passed as what he was saying sunk in, then Sai pushed him back, grabbing the chain from his hand "NO! Don't touch him!" He shrugged, letting her have the lifeless ball.

"Then be a good little girl and come with me." Her jaw set, and she stepped back when he released her.

"Fine."

* * *

Magnus said not a word as Sai followed Burn out. Despite her agreement to play along, the new Decepticon wasn't trusting her, and it showed. Two thin energy ropes were wrapped around her wrists, and he held the knot in one hand. Neither of them glanced at him, even though they knew he was aware.

Sai was too ashamed. Burn just didn't care.

Silently, he turned his face to X-Brawn. The heap of metal twitched, a dull light glowing as the optics turned on. There was no other movement, no other indication his spark still lived.

"X-Brawn." Magnus waited a long moment, before saying "Sai's in trouble."

[I KNOW!] exploded X-Brawn in his mind, systems too fried to respond to his commands to boot up.

"You better be awake. We need to help her."

[Wow, really? Who'd've guessed?]

"These chains are loose," A tug, and one fell out of the wall. "They want us to escape."

[Of course they do! Megatron would want us to be around to see him triumph, to see Sai destroyed, wouldn't he?]

Another tug, and the other Autobot was freed. He thumped uncertainly over to the motionless figure. His systems were only marginally better than his ally's.

"This had better work .. "

* * *

Burn dragged Sai into a large room - literally. As soon as they were out of the chamber that held the Autobots, she had fought him every step of the way. He wasn't entirely sure why, she couldn't get free and she knew it. [Must be her pride]

Megatron's optics lit up at her entrance.

"Ahhh ... it's nice to see you again."

She let loose a stream of Cybertronian, Japanese and Spanish cursing at him ... with a bit of French, and Russian mixed in too. Burn looked startled.

"Well … isn't that interesting?" Megatron smirked, cocking his head to one side "I wonder where you learnt that."

There was a weak cough. "Touch her, Megatron, and you'll pay."

"Yeah … you'll pay." A frizzling, then both voices fell silent. Sai stared at the two figures in the corner ... Prowl, and Sideburn. 

Another stood silently by their side.

At one time, he might have been known as Mirage.

The doubt Burn had planted about the Autobot's loyalty flared into life.

[And now the Autobots are as good as dead.]

* * *

A/N: -sob- I have such bad writers block! This chapter was ... strange. Very strange. oO I know what happens next, kind of, I just wasn't sure what happened in between ^^;

Fic Recommendations

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: You Might Be A Ninja" [Hehe, this is one of those "You might be a –whatever- if … =^-^= I like the one about 'if the phrase Its Not The Size Of Your Stick But They Way You Use It is actually true" best ^^

Erm .. there is another one … that had me laughing the entire time but I can't find it oO It's about Mikey getting everyone drunk … bwahahaha … 

Transformers: The Practical War [This was meant to be a list of one shots, but I love this fic too much not to add it in somewhere ^^; oO Not sure about the stapler obsession though …]

X-Men: Evolution: **PAAAAAARTAAAAAY!** [Hehe, this is a great fic. I started reviewing Becks's fics before I got my own account, so I've never reviewed when I've been signed in. 10 points to anyone who can guess which one I am –grin-]


	8. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own transformers, I don't even own a toy ;__; Though if I did own them, I would have at least a million Ultra Magnus toys and Scurge would be on traffic duty all the time =^-^= 

A/N: That probably won't make much sense unless you saw 'The Test' and found Scurge as a traffic warden as funny as I did u.u Well .. last chapter -sniffle- Epilogue after this, and 'final thoughts'.

Sorry about the late update . ff.net didn't load the other day, then we moved, and then the phone company didn't change the line over n.n But my cd arrived! Woohoo! Only took 3 weeks :\

And now, revised =^-^=

~*~*~*~

Zeheria: A sequel you say? –interested grin- I was thinking two, making this into a trilogy. But that's just my idea ^^; Oh, would you mind if the Autobots suddenly discovered a new earth drink called kolata? N.n

~*~*~*~

Last time: To recap .. Burn who wasn't even going to play a bigger part other than being mentioned has become a major character and is evil u.u X-Brawn is somewhat dead and Ultra Magnus is kinda dead too. Enter ... mysterious figure from the prologue and interlude!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[Well, that didn't work now, did it?] thought Ultra Magnus moodily, lying in much the same position as X-Brawn was. He had attempted to give the others systems a gentle jump start - to at least bring up a damage report … but of course it has a much longer and more scientific term .. but something had inevitably gone wrong, the jolt had been rejected and shot back into Magnus, frying his unstable systems completely.

[Smart move] grumbled X-Brawn, wondering how Sai was doing rather dully. With a hiss, his optics finally gave out and darkened to black. 

Mentally, he sighed heavily.

At the top of the stairs, the doors opened and closed. Clanking footsteps descended and stopped in front of the two Autobots.

"I don't know why I'm doing this," complained a disturbingly familiar voice, accompanied by a metal box opening "Oh, right ... orders." A pause and hiss as a gas torch lit. A sharp pain shot through X-Brawn, jolting his fuzzily shutting down CPU back online to feel his mangled leg being beaten back into shape as it heated. "I suppose its worth it, though. Anything to use against Scurge is worth it." (A/N: In case its too abstract, Scurge has ordered our mysterious friend to get the Autobots back online since it was Burn's job to make sure they were offline. Make Burn look bad and such ... jus for Kit who was completely lost when she started pre-reading this chapter for me Oo) An evil chuckle, then a sigh. "Pity about the girl though, she's changed since she was with us last ... really was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time."

[Sai] snapped Ultra Magnus [S-A-I. SAI ... geez, is that so hard for you morons to comprehend? ... But what about her? Is she okay?]

The figure moved on from panel-beating to circuit repairing, ignoring the silent commentary. "Not that he can decide which one he hates more, of course," they complained as they worked. "The girl, she humiliates him by just walking away whenever he tried to capture her. But the new Decepticon ... well, let's just not go there." The figure creaked as it rose to its feet, leaving the Autobots optics off and systems frozen.

They moved onto Ultra Magnus, whose body was fine, and only needed a few circuits replaced and such and the like. "Of course, this is all irrelevant, isn't it. I'd say you have ... well, not very long to rescue your human friend. Once Megatron's done with the new kid, she's all Scurge's."

They stood, creaked and clanked off, mumbling to themselves. "Well ... that was easy."

~*~*~*~

Sai, meanwhile was having ... fun.

She had been allowed - so graciously - to be by Prowl and Sideburn, who were as dead as X-Brawn had been.

Megatron was busy pacing importantly, looking agitated. Scurge's expression was promising her a wide variety of splendid … activities ... once they were alone. And Burn ... well, Burn wasn't doing anything much.

She didn't look at any of them, instead, she stared at the dead chain in her hand, and beyond that, her fallen friends.

Yes, they may not have trusted each other, but they were friends in some sense. Like Burn ...

She was silent, thinking, then looked up at the Decepticons.

"How." 

For a moment there was no response, then Scurge bit out

"We ... don't know. Instead of scanning the vehicle he was meant to, he scanned the human next to it. We can only ... theorize ... that it had something to do with having no protoform."

"Poor human," said Megatron reflectively, then shrugged. (A/N: I was reading an episode review and it mentioned how Megatron said the oil tanker Scurge scanned would make him stronger because of the oil inside. The comment was it painted a grisly picture if the thing being scanned was alive, as it appeared a part would be integrated into the new transformer ... or something like that. N.n)

Sai glanced at Burn, and then down again. 

Mirage, of course, said nothing. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

X-Brawn's systems booted up suddenly, his optics flickering on and focusing immediately on Ultra Magnus. A moment later, Magnus' did the same. They sat up in sync.

"Ow ... " commented the first "That hurt ..."

"Yeah ..."

Silence for a while as their systems did a mandatory check.

"X-Brawn ...?"

"Hmm?"

"Wasn't Burn a gift ... from you to Sai, to protect her?"

"Originally, yes ..."

"So how exactly is he ... a Decepticon?"

"Not entirely sure ..." A pause. "When did she start wearing that necklace of hers?"

A long pause.

"I don't know."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Megatron?" A shark's head peeked around the corner, inquiring of his masters whereabouts quietly. There was no answer, and just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a voice made him jump.

"And where exactly have -you- been?"

He twirled around to face Slapper, and scowled.

"I might ask you the same thing."

"You might, but you won't."

Silence.

"Oi! You two! Megatron's waiting for you in the control room ... move it."

Looking guilty, the two Predacons yeeped and twirled around to see Mega Octane, Scurge's second in command, glaring at them. Rather than be beaten into scrap metal, they scurried off to do as he commanded.

With a smirk, the Decepticon followed.

Not one of them noticed the small minicon-like Cybertronian computer disk left lying on the ground.

~*~*~*~*~

Sky-Byte, Slapper and Mega Octane entered the control room, followed by the rest of the Predacons and Decepticons. Each stood by their respective leader, and glared at the other group. Mirage stood exactly where he had the entire time, only his flickering optics gave any indication his spark was even still active.

Burn yawned, stretched, and tilted his head to one side.

"Sai-chan? Are you alive?"

"No." The one word she had spoken in half an hour was flat, almost dead. Prowl and Sideburn hadn't moved.

"Ah ... that sucks just a little." Scurge snickered, and her hand tightened on the tiny blade she had in her pocket.

No, it wouldn't do a thing against a giant - walking - and - talking - alien – soup-can … but what're you gonna do?

Megatron made an important coughing sound, and stood from his chair. He turned to the youngest Decepticon.

"Are you ready?" Sai's head jerked up at that.

"Yes, Lord Megatron." Burn inclined his head almost meekly, walking to stand in front of him.

Neither of them changed size, but the moment Megatron's hand gripped Burn's head, they were equal. Sai's eyes flickered with confusion as she watched, then widened as sparks began to fly around the human-like Decepticon, and his leader.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A crackling sound caught X-Brawn and Ultra Magnus by surprise. They ran down the corridor of the base faster, skidding to a halt in front of the control room. 

Inside, their enemies stood watching passively as energy from Burn flowed up Megatron's hand into his systems, sparks flitting around. Mirage looked blank, and Sai rose to her feet, confused.

Slowly, Burn's figure began to flicker, like a bad TV signal. X-Brawn saw his brother's dead bodies as Magnus saw Sai. Slamming through the Predacons - who just stood there - Magnus grabbed her just as she was about to leap at Megatron. Burn's feet began to fade.

"Let me go!" she screamed, as the energy began to cause the paper lying around to burst into flames.

"What are you doing?!" he yelled back, as the noise increased and Burn's legs began to fade.

"He's killing him! Let me go! I have to help him!" She began struggling harder, almost slipping out of his grip as he fought to hold her without squishing her between two fingers.

"He's a Decepticon! He betrayed you!" yelled X-Brawn.

"He's my friend! Let me go! Megatron's going to kill him!"

The Predacons and Decepticons began to notice that the two Autobots were in the room, but made no move to attack as half of Burn's torso flickered. The noise, and wind increased as energy sparks flicked around, burning Sai's clothes and making small holes on the transformers.

Small energy waves began rippling outwards, causing the human to lose her footing while the cybertronians barely swayed.

"Burn!" she screamed, struggling. She broke free, making a break for the Decepticon in question. Of course, she tripped over Prowl and sprawled over his and his brothers body. A larger ripple moved outwards, throwing her back. "Stop it! You're going to kill him!"

Megatron ignored her, Burn flickering completely as X-Brawn leapt in front, powering up and acting as a shield when the main wave shot out, slamming him backwards but not over. With a final squeeze, Burn collapsed in on himself, a final burst of energy slamming up Megatron's arm and disappearing.

With an exaggerated and disturbingly cliché bad guy roar, Megatron slammed up through the roof and took off, not waiting to see half the room collapse in on his own troops.

And all through it, Mirage just stood there. Then, with a slow creak, he collapsed into pieces.

~*~*~*~

"BURN!" shrieked Sai, slamming past X-Brawn and over to the pile of clothes, ignoring the chunks of rocks showering down. Dazed, her Autobot friends watched as she collapsed to her knees, eyes wide at what was left of him. "Burn ... "

A large hunk of rock tumbled down the wall as a black hand crept out, pushing more off until Scurge could escape. One arm hung by just its wires, and his optics flickered dodgily. Chunks of his armor plating hung by strings, or were wedged in  odd places. Clumsily, he stomped over to where the girl kneeled, raising his sword with his good-ish arm over her head.

She stared up at him dully. "How could you ..."

"Easily," he snarled, pulling his arm back to strike ... and stopping abruptly as Magnus' arm cannon shoved past the cracked armor of his back and stopped an inch from his spark. No pain registered.

"Finish that swing," Magnus' voice was dark and predatory "And it will be the last thing your spark -ever- knows." A long, tense silence followed, and Scurge slowly lowered his blade.

"If not today, Autobot, then another. You won't be able to protect her forever."

"Go."

Scurge complied. He didn't look back to see if his troops - or the Predacons - still had functioning sparks. 

Buried, not a single one of them blamed him.

~*~*~*~

"Their sparks still function," said X-Brawn a time later, rising from his brothers. "Mirage's too. Barely, but they should survive until we can get them back to headquarters." Ultra Magnus nodded, then looked over at Sai who hadn't moved an inch.

"Good ... but what about her?" X-Brawn was silent for a long time.

"I don't know," he admitted finally "Of course her body will survive ... but, I don't know if she will. I'd say yes, she's a lot stronger than she appears. But … she's also only human."

Ultra Magnus understood, and they watched her in silence. Physically she was fine, barely a scratch. But she -had- just seen her closest friend for the past ... long time ... destroyed by her best friends' greatest enemy.

Finally, he made his way over to her.

"...Sai? Are you okay?"

"Am I 'okay'?" she repeated coldly, then turned her face up to him. There were no tears on it. "I just saw Burn destroyed while you all stood by and watched - Autobot, Decepticon and Predacon alike ... not a single -one- of you made -any- move to help him." She stood, fists clenching, then exploded. "You let him die! You let my best friend die and you made me stand by and watch!" A tear finally fell, staining the ashes below her feet. "How could you! How could you make me do that!" More tears began falling, staining her cheeks, the ashes, the ground below. He reached out to her, and she slapped his hand away. "I hate you! I hate you!" With that, she turned and ran out the door, clutching the chain in her hand tighter. X-Brawn put his hand on Ultra Magnus' arm as he went to follow her. The latter turned to him questioningly.

"I can't get them back to the base on my own." Subtitle: Let her go.

"I'm sure you could manage." Subtitle: Let me follow.

"I can't." A pause, then "Prime will want to know you're okay." That comment was met by silence.

The subtitle?

There was none.

~*~*~*~

Author Of The Week: Pivot. [In particular, the POV fics, of which 'Mistranslated' is a part, and the first I read. Read them!! Its hard to find fics these days that are deep (not that i dont mind the humor ones, they are in general my favourites) but Pivot has achieved it perfectly. Read now! -commands it with her oO moro bar?]

I have only two recommendations this week, despite finding a million fics I fell in love with straight away.

One is 'Thoughts and Contemplations". [I decided it was time to check out some tf fics ^^; This one I love. Not that I really remember Demolisher, since Armada wasn't my favourite series, but I loved the way this was written. So many people write characters as being completely stable with no doubts, it was a great change -coughs a bit, guilty of it herself-]

The other is, of course, completely unrelated. "The Name Game". [Vwahaha ... Spike and Jet trying to name Ein. 'This coming from the guy who would name his hypothetical children Potato …']


	9. Epilogue

Disclaimer: Still not mine -.^ What? You thought someone gave them to me for no apparent reason? Sorry to dissapoint -_-  
  
A/N: -sniff- Almost done, hope it doesn't end too sadly. There –will- eventually be a sequel, dealing with how Sai and Sky-Byte get along when the others have gone; but mostly with Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime. There's going to be another sequel to that, I think, when Burn comes back. So nope, I didn't kill him off, he's just out of the picture for a while =^- ^=  
  
And, honestly, I do have to thank a few people. Whether you liked this fic or not, I loved writing it. Zeheria's reviews always made me want to update, and kept me going. Usually I would have just filed this away in my box of millions of unfinished pieces of writing, but the fact she kept on reviewing even the chapters I hated gave me the will to finish =^-^=. And to Zan and Kit (my partner in crime) for giving me advice on what to do when I had serious writers block ^^; And mostly to Matt, who I never see anymore, but who was the first to ever read this back in uhm –thinks- 2002? I think, and who's asking to read the first draft I accidentally left on the table again is the whole reason I posted. Arigatoo to you all =^-^= And to everyone else who's read this, of course =^-^=  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
And so, life more or less returned to normality. The Autobots battled the Decepticons and Predacons, Koji was reunited with Dr. Onishi, the whole Fortress Maximus thing went down with the Autobots eventually winning – as was the inevitable outcome.  
  
Often times through this, one of the teams would see a black haired girl standing on the beach looking out to sea with her hands in her pockets, or catch a glimpse of black hair in a black car with silver flames shooting up the sides; but it meant little to them. Neither the Autobot Brothers or Ultra Magnus would say why Sai would not be returning again. They wouldn't even explain to Optimus Prime why they carried Mirage back in pieces and, to everyone's surprise, their leader didn't push them to. Mirage was most confused of all, his memory banks seemingly wiped.  
  
Often times, Sai would stop at various places and stand for a time, staring at nothingness. A few times she almost convinced herself to continue, but each time she would sigh and shake her head, before getting back in her car and disappearing down the road.  
  
Often times, Ultra Magnus would be watching. And each time she left, he too would turn and drive away.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was sunset one day as Sai sat on the beach as she usually did, fingering an old chain, looking out to sea.  
  
Clunking footsteps startled her, but not as much as who it was. Instead of one of her friends coming up, it was Mirage. He sat down beside her without any hesitation at all. She wondered just how much he really did remember, since he hadn't even been willing to talk to her civilly when they first met.  
  
"We leave tomorrow," he commented.  
  
She didn't reply. He shrugged.  
  
"Just thought you'd like to know. A few of the others would like to say good-bye, y'know. But whatever." He shrugged again, stood up, and clanked off.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Magnus?" Optimus Prime's voice penetrated the veil of thought his brother was hiding behind, jolting him back to reality "I don't think she's coming, we have to get going soon."  
  
All the other Autobots had returned, and were busy setting up the stasis pods for their return to Cybertron. Magnus, however, had simply been standing out on the bridge, looking at nothing in particular. Prime was glad he had agreed to return with them, of course, but he wished it had been for another reason than the fact the human girl had once asked him to if he ever forgave his brother.  
  
"I know, Prime ... just a little longer." [She'll come ... I know she will.]  
  
There was a brief moment of silence, then "And in a little longer, when she hasn't arrived? What then? Will you continue to stand here waiting?"  
  
"That's not really going to be an issue, is it?" Sai stepped out of the bushes, hands in her pockets and looking mildly irritated. "I'm here ... -you- can leave." The last sentence was bitten out, and it was obvious she had been waiting long enough to hear his last comment – and the implications behind it. He paused, then turned and clanked off.  
  
The two stood in silence for a while, as they often had before. It seemed to her that nothing had changed, when it should have.  
  
"I still hate you," she stated plainly, then shrugged.  
  
"Expected no less, Sai."  
  
"Good."  
  
He hadn't, either, because he understood hate. He had hated his brother for so long over something as trivial as the matrix, that all the good times they had had as children had seemed irrelevant, not even worth keeping as a memory. Perhaps, in time, she would feel the same. Or, perhaps, she would forgive him before then.  
  
But no, he hadn't expected to have been forgiven.  
  
A short laugh brought him back to the present, and he saw she had climbed up on the rail next to him.  
  
"What?" he demanded.  
  
She grinned. "Nothing." She paused, then shrugged again. "I'm going to miss you, Magnus."  
  
"We're going to miss you, too." The Autobot Brothers clunked up behind their leaders brother, but it was Sideburn who had spoken. She gave a tiny little smile.  
  
"You guys are like weeds, jus' can't be killed can you?" They all shared a tiny chuckle, but the tension remained as thick as ever. Some things had to be said that none of them were willing to say.  
  
Finally, it was summed up in one question from Magnus. "Why did you cry for him?"  
  
A brief hesitation and it looked like Sai was going to skirt the question, then she shook her head as if to rid herself of the thought. "I had my reasons." This obviously didn't satisfy her anymore than it did them, and she floundered for a bit before elaborating. "I ... he ..." she went silent, gnawing her lip. There didn't seem to be any way to explain it. "He was my friend," she allowed finally "He was a Decepticon, yes, but he was still my friend in some way. He helped me escape Scurge more than once, and it wasn't always a tactic. He didn't want me to be hurt because of him any more than I wanted you to be hurt because of me." Her face went a funny way as she tried to put her reasoning into words. She sighed and shook her head again. "If I had joined Megatron and died, would you have cried for me?"  
  
"What relevance does that have?"  
  
"Would you have cried for me?" she persisted.  
  
"What relevance does that have?" He repeated, his voice taking on a mildly worried tone, and she shook her head at it, trying a different tactic.  
  
"It has as much relevance as asking me why I cried for him. We both know the answer to both questions. In this case, we all know the answer is 'no'. Not because you wouldn't want to, but because you can't. Cybertronian's are literally incapable of crying the way humans can. I cried for Burn because he meant something to me, and because I wanted to. He was born a Decepticon, but allegiance doesn't mean anything when you're dead. You're not good, or evil, you're just gone." She looked at X-Brawn. "He didn't develop out of the computer you installed in my car, like I know you're worried he did. He was a spark, the system just gave him ... I don't know how to say it, I was only taught it in Cybertronian." She shrugged, then sighed. "I don't know ... maybe, just gave him a form? He was a sentient, solid hologram up until Megatron activated his spark. That's all."  
  
They stared at her a little, wondering what this revelation had to do with anything. She didn't seem to be her usual logical self.  
  
[She just made it very clear the differences between us and her] thought Prowl, confused. [At least ... I think that's what she did.] She caught his look, and grinned. She'd answered the question, it was over with.  
  
"I have a gift for you four, though." Reaching into the bag on her back, she pulled out a parcel. The cloth flopped open to reveal a cluster of small minicon-like disks. "It's the videos I – we ... me and Burn – made." She tilted her head, and shrugged. "I figure, at least you guys won't forget me so easily."  
  
"We couldn't forget you!" exclaimed Sideburn, glomping Sai with one hand. With a startled laugh, she was lifted up.  
  
"Good!"  
  
X-Brawn stepped forward a bit, to stand by Ultra Magnus. There didn't seem to be anything else to say, and for a while she just looked at them innocently. Finally, she laughed again.  
  
"I'm gonna miss you guys so much ..."  
  
"I thought you hated us," commented X-Brawn, testing the waters.  
  
"Oh, I do," she admitted "But, y'know." A shrug. Then, she sighed and looked down. "But since you're coming back one day ... I guess, there's no reason to say good-bye."  
  
Optimus Prime walked up from where he was close-by at this, and looked at them. To his credit, he didn't contradict her comment. Neither did he agree to it, but he didn't contradict it.  
  
"It's ... time to go."  
  
The Autobots nodded, and Sai tilted her head to him.  
  
"I know you hate me, Optimus Prime, but don't blame them. If protecting Koji meant keeping him from your teams, wouldn't you have made that choice?"  
  
He blinked, startled. "I ... I suppose I would have; but how would keeping him a secret have protected him?"  
  
She shrugged, and shoved her hands in her pockets. "Never said that it would. But they-" she tossed her head at the others standing there "- couldn't have gained anything by telling you about me. If I had thought for a moment that you being involved was necessary, I would have told them to." She bit her lip, went to ask something, paused, and finally said "Though, I think that maybe you understand the Decepticons better than they do. So, I have a question for you."  
  
He raised an optic ridge, mulling this over. Her voice didn't give away anything her words didn't, and they were chosen carefully. "A question?"  
  
"Mhm." She nodded. "Am I like Burn?"  
  
When he didn't answer for a moment, she shrugged and hopped off the rail.  
  
Then, without a word, she turned and walked away. 


	10. Final Thoughts

Disclaimer: Not mine, unfortunately. Though Megatron and the Decepticons getting drunk was a riot =^-^;=

~*~*

Zeheria: Thankyou! You've been one of the biggest inspirations for this fic ^^; Gomen. Full credit for the drink will go to you =^-^=

~*~*

Pivot: Wow, thankyou so much! And I have to say, thanks for the laugh ^^ "From a greater evil than you, Megatron... the British Education System!" That was funny to me for the simple fact I'm from New Zealand and am constantly accused of being British ^^; I have an accent apparently. Hehe, even Vor got a laugh outta it. ^^; And you're welcome, I read one of the POV fics and had to read the rest. Loved 'em all ^^ Heh .. yes, Megatron was most likely trying to defen them n.n He's not all that original, is he? ^^;

~*~*

A/N: Thus said, I have to admit this is a fairly pointless chapter, and a little sadder than I would have liked; but when you re-write something 10 times you take what you can get ^-^; They, obviously, are Sai's … and in the next fic, the bad guys get loose n.n Predictable and cliché, but I like them too much to cut them out ^-^;

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I never actually expected them to leave. 

Even as – from my viewpoint on the cliff – I saw their ship door close and the engines flare into life, I couldn't comprehend that they were going. Even as they ship took off soon to become a distant speck, then vanish all togther.

Even then, I expected Them to appear behind me from thin air, laughing, joking, mocking me gently for thinking they would leave.

But they didn't. Haven't.

They won't

~*~

It started to rain a time ago, but it doesn't feel real to me. I remember the first time I felt rain – the night I left the base, the first night I spend with Magnus. I danced in it for hours and got a killer cold … never for a moment regretted it, despite the week it took me to get better. Thinking about that, I suppose not all the water on my upturned face is rain, I don't know. It doesn't feel any realer than the rain.

It doesn't feel real they've gone. They're all I've ever cared about in my life – the Autobots; predictable and straight-laced. The Predacons – amusing in their moronicness, but no as stupid as they appear. The Decepticons – deadly. They were nothing if not deadly. But … they have to come back, all of them … don't they?

The Onishi brat … Koji … was here before. I don't remember what he said, I don't care either. He was smiling – I suppose when I stop standing here in the rain I will go after him. How could he laugh now? They were his friends too – in a way, more so than they could ever be mine – so why does he feel no sadness they've gone? I feel betrayed more by him – my enemy – than I do by the others. The others, who took everything and they left me here. How can the Onishi brat hate me in a such a way this is amusing to him?

Do you think, I was too hard on Prime? I judged him before I met him … was I wrong?

Do you think, I should have told the real reason I cried for Burn?

Do you think, it's my fault he's gone?

Do you think, he isn't? That somehow his spark still functions?

Do you think, Magnus …. Do you think that I've been wrong all this time?

Do you think, do you believe … he and I are the same?

I think … maybe, we are.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As the sun sinks below the horizon, a young black haired woman trails slowly through the rain to her car.  
  


From his viewpoint above, the shark-bot sees the Onishi kid walk up to her, smiling. She ignores him, driving off without a glance back.

[I think] he decides, defying all logic by achieving this simple act [I should go and talk to her]


End file.
